Potato-growing.

Otago Witness, Issue 2209, 2 July 1896, Page 5

Potato-growing.

TO THE EDITOR. ' Bib,— Being interested in potatoes and potato culture, allow me to make a few remarks upon the note which appeared in" -"Agricola's" column in your issue of the 11th insb. on this subject. I quite agree with "Agricola" that some of the kidneys and Derwents decidedly show marks of old age or neglect, but in many cases poverty is really at the .bottom of it. I can show samples of the same variety of potatoes grown* within less than two miles of each other to prove the Utter statement, and also a very clear case of three causes in a lot of Derwfinjs. Only a few weeks ago I saw' a farmecjhgging his Darwents in soil that. 1 envied (that 1 work being chiefly heavy clay), but the orop was a very poor one, 1 believe had he planted magnum oonums on the aiyme ground bis return would have been doubled. As to (he potato apple, a potato that I { bought some eight jewa ago for wow/take

(which it clearly was nob),- and named the "Best of All," .'being the f 'beit I h%d among over 15 varieties, Js invariably leaded with them, and this potato yields, well, with very few small ones, and is a grand cooking variety ; but as it is late when Derwento are in, ib -mil not Bell well, though far superior 'in flavour. I may as well state here that on a recent .trip to tbe old country I was at ' the International Horticultural Society's show in Edinburgh, and there in five or six different exhibits I recognised the identical potato, or the only one in the whole show like ,them, and in each eisa they bore the namß of " Sutton's Best of A'l." The magnum bonum is also far jsuperior to the majority of Derwents. I am sorry I have had no experience yet wi'hthe Bruce ; bub the English snowball is a grand potato. It ,yields and cooks well, and is yery smooth in the eyes. I grew a few of the mparator lasb year, but- they proved very large, coarse, and misehipen. However, I Will try again. The original white elephantstreaky pink and white skin— l have proved to be a very heavy cropper and'to cook well. I received .a .couple of potatoes about four years ago by post from Philadelphia (Maule'a Freeman), which I have found very early, bub alao very tender, the shawi suffering from any severe wind 3. It is a very good cropper, and j cooks white an,d ntmly, bui thea ib is, nob a kidney, so may not sell as wall. Another new potato I must mention is the on 9 exhibited by'ma at the late show under the name of " Irish ' Grpm"— the coming" "potato, as several people said. This came from the' ' North of IreUnd a few' years ago without a ' name, but I think thera is no doubt it will merit •the' name it now bears. ' As to manures, I am certain potatoes do notaga.rule get fairly treated. They: either get coarse barnyard manure or none at all. I once goi some very small sets of a new variety no bigger than a thimble, but with geniuom treatmeat I had tubers 3in in diameter, and once by an extra dose of manure dug 28 Ib of fluke kidney? from one set. I purpose urine a-spsoial potato fertil : sj,r this year oa newly-turaed up tuif.land, ancfwill note the result. By- the way, I think ib has been fairly proved that potatoes cut to two eyes^willyield a larger percentage of table potatoes .than if more eyea are left ; and I feel certain ib would p\y growers ! better to cub off the butt ends of Urge potatoes and feed them to stock rather than plant them. —I am, &c, •' ■' J. H. Evbby. ' Anderson's B»y, Jane 27.